The Legend of Zelda: The Hero of War
by KuZaganHW
Summary: Centuries pass and history becomes legend.  The world of Hyrule has been at peace for so long that the legend of the Hero of Time and his reincarnations are but a myth.  Now a new hero is born into a time of turmoil and war, will he save it?
1. Chapter 1

_**The Hero of War:**_

_**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction**_

_**Written by:**_

_**Jozepi4**_

_**Chapter 1**_

**_Disclaimer:_****_ I do not own the Legend of Zelda series, it is a product of Nintendo. I am just a fan who thought people might like my story based on it._**

**_Author's Note:_****_ This story will be updated at irregular intervals so please bear with me. I hope you all enjoy my story, second chapter is coming soon._**

_ Deep in the Kokiri woods, in a small hut built from the debris of a hundred fallen trees, a cry rings out, the first sign of new life being born. A woman lies in her bed breathing heavily as several childlike creatures scanter back and forth with hot towels and boiling water. Finally the woman collapses back on her bed, sweat running down her face and her hair matted to her skull, her breath coming in short ragged gasps._

_ One of the Kokiri carries a towel wrapped bundle to her and she takes it into her arms, smiling and stroking the face of her newborn baby boy. She begins nursing the small child as his cries die down, his eyes fluttering shut as he quietly suckles._

_ Another Kokiri runs in the door as a light rain begins to fall, her breathing frantic and her eyes open wide in shock. She runs over to the woman and leans toward her, whispering, "The Great Deku Tree says that your son is the start of the prophecy and that we need to bring his father home as soon as possible. I sent a runner but it may take several days before he is reached"._

_ The mother nods and lays her head back, cradling her son and whispering to the frantic child, "If that's the case, then his name shall be Link, as the Great Deku Tree said..."_

_ Meanwhile on the other side of Hyrule, on the plains to the east of Hyrule Castle a battle of epic proportions was winding down, the army of Hyrule raises a cry of triumph as the last of their enemies fall. Near the front of the army, a small group lift their wounded captain onto their shoulders, rushing him towards the small medical tent being erected at the center of the battlefield._

_ Under the tent the Princess' tutors, the sages of Hyrule, lead a group of mages in healing the wounded, and direct a team of surgeons and medics in treating the wounds the mages cannot heal._

_ When the wounded captain was laid on the last empty table several Sages broke away from the mass of people and treat him personally. After several hours they step back to wipe their foreheads and examine their results._

_ The captain lay on recently changed blankets, his right arm in a sling, and his left leg wrapped in bandages, splints holding the bones straight. His left arm had to be amputated just below the elbow, his right leg as well, just under the knee. His chest was a mass of cuts and stab wounds, cleaned and bandaged to prevent further bleeding, stitches running across the side of his stomach where the sages sealed a large gash from an axe blow near the end of the battle. His face was wrapped so that only one eye could be seen gleaming from between the white cotton._

_ His squad gathered around him, tears running down their faces as those who were lucky enough to not be seriously wounded held up those who weren't so lucky. Slowly smiles began to erupt through the small group as they all laughed victoriously and laid their hands on the captain's battered body._

_ One of the Sages stepped up and whispered to the captain, "Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but a message has arrived from your village via the Great Deku Tree...your wife went into labor early last night, your child was born minutes before the battle ended...it's a boy, congratulations"._

_ The captain's eye twinkled happily from underneath his bandage as his squad broke into cries of celebration and a few went off to procure a few bottles of wine to celebrate properly. When the soldier's return with food and wine, they pour out several goblets of wine and raise them in honor of their captain's new son._

_ "Sir, do you know what his name will be?" One soldier asks, pouring some wine into the captain's mouth._

_ The captain closes his eyes, whispering, "Link...his name shall be Link..."_

_ "Sir, I've just informed the Captain of the birth of his son. He reacted quite happily, he is currently celebrating with his squad". The Sage that had just vacated the captain's bedside was now bent over a large bowl filled with a glowing blue liquid. Reflected in the liquid was not the face of the Sage, but a face seemingly growing out of the trunk of a large tree._

_ "Good, good...did you tell him of the prophecy?" The Great Deku tree asked, a note of worry in his voice._

_ "No Great Deku Tree, he is unaware. Should I have told him?" Asked the Sage his misty eyes staring into the wooden eyes reflected in his scrying bowl. "I can return to tell him, his squad will surely give me a few moments alone with him"._

_ "No no, it is better this way. He does not need to know that his bloodline is the same as that of the ancient heroes and that his child will be the next reincarnation of the Hero of Time"._

_ The Sage nods and turns toward the small group gathered around the bed at the end of the row, "So it is true, the boy will be like the heroes in the stories? The Hero of Wind, and of Twilight, and the others?"_

_ The Great Deku Tree nods, his branches swaying in a non-existent breeze. With a wave of his hand the Sage turns the liquid in the bowl opaque, walking towards his fellow Sages and gathering together in discussion._

_ While all this was happening, the captain and his squad were finishing off the last of their food and wine. The captain closes his eyes, wondering how he will raise a son in this age of war, why the Gerudo chose now to come back into the land of Hyrule, and more than anything else, if the old stories were true and a hero of old would be reborn to save them._

_**10 Years Later**_

_ "Father, tell me again how you won the battle against those Gerudo Raiders. Please Father." Young Link, 10 years old and already showing strength and courage beyond his years. He sits next to his Father's chair, a fire giving off a warm glow to fight off the winter chill._

_ The old Captain smiles at his son and ruffles his hair, propping himself up and closing his eyes, the memories playing through his mind._

_ "Well we spent the first night on the battlefield digging trenches. Unlike the rest of the officers I was out with my squad digging the first line of trenches. When we finished we dug in and sent a runner back to bring us arrows for the archers." Link hung on his Father's every word, staring at his face with his mouth hanging slightly open in awe._

_ "What happened next Father?" Link asked, already knowing what his Father would say next, having heard this story dozens of times._

_ "We stayed in our trench until sunrise. That was when we heard the first sounds from the Gerudo Raiders..."_

_ The Captain sits back against the wall of the recently dug trench, his eyes closed, his breathing slow, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword at his side. As the sun rises, so does the temperature, the heat bearing down on him and his men. Not one complains, they all sit in similar positions to their Captain, some with their weapons across their laps._

_ With no real sign or signal the Captain and his squad, in unison, mutter words of prayer under their breath._

_ "Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, protect us so that we may return to our family. Din, Goddess of Power, give us the strength to defeat our enemies on the field of battle. Fiore, Goddess of Courage, let us battle alongside our brothers as one. Goddesses of Wisdom, Power, and Courage, watch over us."_

_ The Captain looks down the line of his men, closing his eyes and taking one more deep breath before standing tall and drawing his sword, his order ringing out with the power of a fierce leader._

_ "Archers! Ready your bows! Pikes to the ready! Ready your weapons men, we will give these warriors our best, because they damn sure will do the same!" His men let loose cries of battle, the Archers nocking their arrows and drawing them back. Along the line the Pikemen readied their weapons against the edge of the trench, the tips of all the weapons glinting in the rising sun._

_ Speaking in a much lower tone, walking down the line of his men and patting each and every one of them on the back, "Be ready, do not hesitate, they may be women, but they are as able in combat as any of us, you must be ready to kill."_

_ When he reaches the end of the line he turns back and raises his sword. "Archers at the ready! Steady...steady...RELEASE!" With a chorus of twangs the arrows from his squad and all the rest shoot into the air, arcing high over the battlefield, the other army doing the same, two identical shadows crossing the distance between them as the arrows reach their targets._

_ "Shields up!" The same order echoes across the Hylian line, the Shieldmen lifting up their massive shields, the Archers sending volley after volley of arrows through the gaps in the shields._

_ When the arrows finally stop flying a foreign cry is heard as the Gerudo charge from the treeline._

_ "Pikes and Shields, move up!" The Captain climbs the wall of the trench, his men climbing after him, the Shieldmen forming a wall of steel which the Pikemen stand behind, their long weapons resting in the curves of the shields._

_ "And FORWARD!" The Captain's squad slowly moves forward, the rest of the Hylian army doing the same across the field._

_ At the front of the Gerudo line, a group of men lead the charge, unarmored and carrying only simple clubs and wooden shields. Strong and disposable, they slam straight into the first line of Hylian soldiers, impaling themselves on the pikes, blood and intestines spilling to the ground from their wounds. The Shieldmen pushing forward, each shield supported by two soldiers who stab the bodies of each dead man they push past._

_ "HOLD!" The Captain's order rings out and his squad crouch low, holding smaller shields over their heads. With a clanging of armor on armor, the men hunker down behind their shields, the other squads that moved forward doing the same._

_ The Gerudo lines slow to a steady march, war cries and taunts echoing across the field between the two forces. When they move within range the shields part and one last volley of arrows shoots from the gap in the phalanx formation. When the arrows find their marks in the throats of the Gerudo soldiers the Shieldmen suddenly charge forward, slamming their shields into the soldiers, the Pikemen charging with them and driving their weapons into the bodies of the Gerudos._

_ When the first line of Gerudo fall the Shieldmen drop the weighty shields and heft smaller personal shields, stabbing their swords down into the necks of the women trapped underneath the shields. The Pikemen make long lunging stabs into the Gerudo lines, the tips on their pikes driving into the soldiers and the blades pulling back through the ones closer to them._

_ The Captain's men break formation and jump into combat with the Gerudo women. The women swing heavy axes, bringing them down on the shields of the Hylian soldiers, knocking some to their knees where they are quickly dispatched, the heavy blades smashing through their armor._

_ The Captain sees one of his men about to be slain in this manner and he jumps forward, bringing the blade of his sword down on the neck of the woman holding the ax. As the blood gushes from her decapitated neck he grabs the ax, hefting it in his shielded left hand. He turns toward another Gerudo, throwing the ax with deadly precision, the blade embedding itself in the she-warrior's forehead._

_ As the minutes drag on into hours, dozens of Gerudo fall to the Captain's blade. Even so, the Gerudo outnumber the Hylian's ten to one, and as the battle drags on, morale drops. Right when all seems hopeless, the Captain and his squad reach the center of the battle, where a monster of a woman is fighting a dozen Hylian soldiers at once, a massive spear in one hand, a sword of monstrous proportions in the other. Dozens of dead soldiers already lay around her, and the dead increase by the minute._

_ "Leave her, she is just thinning our numbers more and more! I'll take it from here." The captain barks his orders to the men, throwing his shield to the ground and pulling a second sword from a sheathe on his back._

_ Wrenching his helmet from his head he charges at the woman as the other soldier's turn and flee. With a roar of fury the monstrous Gerudo lunges with her spear, missing the Captain by a hair when he dodges to the side, slashing expertly at her wrist in an attempt to make her drop the spear, to no avail._

_ With a mighty laugh she swats the Captain aside with her sword and straightens up, "You are a different class of warrior than I have killed so far, I hope you manage to be more entertaining than them as well."_

_ With a mighty flexing of her arm she flings the spear in her hand at the captain. The Captain dodges the attack with ease but as he moves to steady himself for a charge he steps on a fallen soldier, slipping on the slick surface of his armor. The she-warrior hefts her sword in both hands and leaps forward, bringing the blade down on the Captain, who raises both of his swords in an X and takes the full force of the impact on the blades, his body sinking slightly in the muddy earth._

_ The Captain kicks up at the woman, catching her in the shoulders and he rolls back away from her, steadying himself and raising his swords. The Gerudo grins, wrenching an ax out of the back of a fallen Hylian and hefting both of her weapons, charging at the Captain with a horrendous battle cry._

_ The Captain dives to the side, jumping forward to cut her off, slashing her leg and stomach, gutting her and cutting her leg out from under her. As he jumps backward she swings the ax around, catching him in the stomach, burying the heavy blade in his abdomen. Before the pain can set in the Captain staggers forward, dropping his short sword and stabbing the Gerudo woman in the chest, driving his sword clear through her back with both hands._

_ When she falls dead to the floor he stumbles back, finally collapsing under the weight of his injuries, blood running down his arm from a gash, his leg already starting to swell from his hard landing before._

_ "After that, I don't know how long I lay in the bloody mud. I sank in and out of consciousness. The only thing that stopped me from fulling passing out was the thought of your mother here, pregnant with you, and how you both needed me to come home safely." The Captain smiles and leans forward, kissing young Link on his forehead, ruffling his hair with his remaining arm._

_ "Wow Father, you really fought that woman? And she really wielded an axe AND a claymore?" Link's look of amazement makes the old Captain chuckle and pull the boy up onto his lap._

_ "Yes son, she really did, and she gave me the scar on my stomach as well, it nearly killed me." The Captain lifts the front of his shirt, several scars crisscrossing his chest, but the one on his stomach glows white in the dim firelight._

_ "Dear, do you really need to show our son that old thing?" Both father and son look up to see Link's mother leaning against the door frame, a thick green coat around her, and a smile on her face._

_ Link jumps down and runs to his mother, hugging her legs. "Mother! Father has just finished telling me the story about the Gerudo raiders and how he killed the Monster woman who killed a hundred soldiers without a taking a single blow or injury! Father was an amazing soldier, wasn't he mother?"_

_ The Captain smiles and grabs his crutch, levering himself out of the chair and slowly making his way toward his wife and son, kissing her cheek and resting his hand on Link's head._

_ "Yes Link, your father was an amazing soldier indeed, but he is an even better father, did he tell that your first sword just came from the Hylian armory?" Link's mother smiles at her husband, stroking young Link's hair._

_ The Captain smiles down at his son's ecstatic expression, walking to the closet under the stairs and speaking over his shoulder. "I was going to surprise you with it in the morning, but I suppose you can have it now."_

_ Link runs over to his father as he pulls a wrapped bundle out of the closet. After unwrapping it he hands the sword to his son. When Link takes the sword out he simply stares at the blade, noting how the small sword feels like an extension of his arm._

_ After sheathing the weapon he hugs his father and smiles up at him. "Thank you Father, does this mean you're finally going to teach me how to fight?"_

_ Looking at his Link's mother, he nods and smiles down at his son. "Yes Link, tomorrow I will start teaching you how to fight."_

_

* * *

**Well, there we have it, the first chapter. Second chapter was already completed when i posted this, just waiting to see how it goes over:3 should be up by friday. be happy people:D**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Hero of War:**_

_**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction**_

_**Written by:**_

_**Jozepi4**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_ Day after day young Link trains with his father, the air hissing with each swing of his sword. After a few hours of vigorous warmup exercises with his father he finally settles down under a tree to meditate and center himself._

_ "Feel the flow of nature around you, the wind moving effortlessly through the trees and grass and around your limbs. The solidity of the ground beneath your feet. The cold of the snow around you." Link's father leans on his crutch, smiling at his son._

_ Link breathes slowly, his eyes gently closed and his whole body relaxed, his sword propped against him._

_ "Good...good...now stand and ready yourself. Today we move on from practice dummies."_

_ Link opens his eyes and looks at his father curiously, standing up and drawing his sword from it's sheathe. "What do you mean father?"_

_ The old Captain just smiles and steps aside, revealing one of the Kokiri villagers, the hilt of a small sword visible over the small creature's shoulder._

_ "A Kokiri?" Link tilts his head bemusedly. "But Father, the Kokiri are peaceful, they do not know how to-"_

_ Link is cut off as the small childlike creature leaps forward, drawing and slashing the small sword from his back faster than Link could blink. It was all Link could do to raise his sword, the impact knocking him backwards._

_ "They may be peaceful, but they do know the ways of war my son." The old Captain laughs softly, lowering himself down to a sitting position under a tree. "This is Domoria, keeper of the Kokiri-Sword and a great warrior amongst his people. He will teach you some of the finer points of swordsmanship."_

_ Link nods at his father and takes a defensive stance, his eyes locked onto Domoria's as he smiles back at Link. Link lets his sword arm hang freely, ready to swing his sword should the Kokiri come any closer._

_ "You have a good stance Youngling, but you don't know where to hold your sword." Domoria darts forward, lunging with his small sword. Link jumps to the side and retaliates, swinging his own weapon down at the blade of his opponents._

_ His sword makes contact with nothing but air, nearly embedding it in the ground. Link stumbles a bit with the force of his swing and he falls to his knee, feeling the coldness of a steel edge on the back of his neck._

_ "You would be dead if I was fighting to kill, Youngling, if you had been holding your sword in a more ready position you could have deflected my attack instead of dodging it, giving me time to change my footing and get behind you."_

_ Link gets to his feet slowly, his head drooping and his sword hanging loose in his grip. He nods slowly and looks up at Domoria, an angry look in his eye as he tightens the grip on his sword._

_ Domoria nods and raises his sword, getting into a ready stance. "This stance would be better for you, your arms are not strong, but that will change. This stance will be better until then, allowing you to use your opponents strength to fortify your own."_

_ Link nods, adopting the stance indicated by Domoria, his sword held loosely in his fingers. Domoria lowers his own sword, adjusting Link's stance slightly and then steps back with a grin._

_ "That should do it Youngling, I think that will do."_

_ The Captain watches all of this with a smile, laughing at the defiant look in his son's eye and nodding happily at how fast Link gets into the proper stance. He silently watches as the Kokiri instructs Link on each movement, showing him how to deflect a blow and then follow through, where to aim his strikes, and where to cover himself. Domoria glances over at the old Captain and he nods approvingly, indicating that he would like Domoria to spar with Link._

_ "Okay Youngling, I think you are ready to try sparring with me. Just remember, flow from one movement into the next, and keep a level head." Domoria smiles reassuringly at Link and raises his sword, gripping it lightly in one hand. Link nods and taps the tip of his blade against Domoria's, settling into a slightly different stance than the one they had practiced. "Youngling, your stance is wrong, you are holding your legs to close together."_

_ "My stance is fine Domoria, this is just more comfortable for me." Link sidles to the side, his eyes locked on Domoria's. Link smiles and straightens up, lowering his sword. "Domoria, if I win this match I want you to tell me how you obtained your sword, my mother told me it was lost decades ago."_

_ Domoria smiles softly and nods, lowering his stance slightly. "As you wish Youngling, though you will not win. You have only had one short lesson, this is to test your ability to retain that knowledge."_

_ Link grins and settles into his stance again, his sword held in front of him with one hand resting on the flat of the blade. "Then test me Kokiri."_

_ Link lunges forward, ducking to the side when Domoria does, knocking his blade aside and sweeping his legs from under him. Domoria quickly recovers, rolling to the side and swinging the flat of his blade at Link's legs. Link jumps over the swing and backpedals away from Domoria's reach, using the reach of his longer sword to his advantage to lunge and swipe at his arms from outside of his opponents range._

_ Domoria counters this with his superior speed, ducking and weaving around Link's attacks, rarely making one of his own. When Link finally stops his barrage of attacks they circle each other slowly, eyes locked and panting slightly._

_ "You have learned well Youngling, I am pleasantly surprised at your skill."_

_ Link smiles and shrugs, letting his guard down for a moment. "Mother and Father always say I am a swift learner, I guess this is no diff-"_

_ Domoria suddenly leaps forward, swinging his sword around to smack Link's sword from his hand. Instead of hearing the ringing impact of steel on flesh, he hears steel on steel as Link quickly deflects the attack, sending Domoria's weapon spinning through the air as he sweeps his legs from under him with a quick kick, resting the edge of his sword on the Kokiri's neck._

_ "I believe this makes me the victor Domoria, or am I mistaken?" Link grins widely, helping the dumbstruck Kokiri to his feet._

_ "Yes...yes it does...how did you manage to do that?" Domoria retrieves his weapon and returns it to it's scabbard with a curious look at Link._

_ "Like I said, I am a fast learner." Link shrugs and sheathes his own weapon, clasping his hands behind his back. "I believe we had a deal though Domoria, if I won you have to tell me how you found your sword."_

_ Domoria smiles and nods, sitting down and gesturing for Link to do the same. "You are right Youngling, I did promise."_

_ Link's father watches the sparring match quietly, nodding occasionally and clapping his hands and giving a cheer when Link disarms the Kokiri. Getting to his feet and hobbling over towards them on his crutch._

_ Domoria looks up at the old Captain but continues his story uninterrupted. "After I asked the Great Deku tree about the Kokiri-Sword, he told me how the first Hero of Legends, the Hero of Time grew up in the old Kokiri village and obtained the sword and used it to save Hyrule. He also told me that when the Hero left Hyrule he took it with him to the land of Termina. After that the sword vanishes from history with the Hero, or so we thought. It turns out that the Great Deku Tree somehow obtained the sword after the Hero's death, and it resided deep within him. With the Great Deku Tree's permission I ventured inside him and found it, using it to fight my way back out, because when I took it from it's resting place strange creatures appeared, Deku Babas and other such plant like animals."_

_ Link looks up as his father sits next to him and then he looks back at Domoria, stopping him for a moment. "There were no monsters until you picked up the sword? That seems rather strange."_

_ "It is not unheard of though my son." Link's father crosses his arms and nods slightly. "It must have been the Great Deku Tree's way of testing Domoria to see if he was worth of carrying this ancient weapon."_

_ Domoria smiles and nods eagerly, rocking back and forth a bit like a child. "That is what the Great Deku Tree told me when I emerged with the sword in hand. He also gave me the scabbard and the sword belt, I know not from where they came, but they are not of Hylian make."_

_ He removes the sword belt from his torso and passes it across to the old Captain, who holds it up in his hand to examine it in the bright winter sunlight. He turns it over a few times, rubbing his thumb across the engravings and the embossed Kokiri emblem on the belt._

_ "Hmm...the leather is very finely made, definitely not Hylian, but it seems more Kokiri in origin."_

_ Domoria nods at this and gestures at the scabbard itself. "but the blade and scabbard are metal, and the Kokiri do not have any skill in this area, we are simple wood folk."_

_ The old Captain lays the Kokiri-Sword across his lap, staring in silence at the scabbard and drawing the sword from it, holding it up to the light, the blade more like a dagger or short sword for his adult arm._

_ "This is definitely not Hylian steel, but it is from Hyrule. I have seen it's like before, it is similar to the weapons made by the Goron's for the Royal Family's guard and for the shiekah. The scabbard on the other hand more closely resembles the workmanship of the Zora people, they are renowned for their armor. It would seem that he who carries this sword would carry a gift from each of the three non-human people of Hyrule, the Kokiri elves of the wood, the Goron rock-men of the mountain, and the Zora fish-people of the lake."_

_ Link watches his father quietly as he examines the Kokiri-Sword, his mouth hanging open at the revelations he has of it's origins. "Father do you really think that the sword is a gift from all three of the non-human races?"_

_ The old Captain nods at his son, passing the sheathed weapon back to Domoria who holds it in his hands._

_ "That is the legend that is passed down among the Kokiri as well Captain, that the Kokiri-Sword is a gift from all of the races to the Hylian's who rule and protect this sacred land." Domoria turns to Link and smiles, holding the sword out to him. "And now I pass it on to the next Hylian to earn it."_

_ The old Captain and Link both freeze in their surprise, their eyes staring at Domoria as if he has played a bad joke on them._

_ "Domoria, you must be kidding. You can't give Link such an old and unique gift." The old Captain shakes his head almost angrily, his eyes boring into the Kokiri's small happy ones._

_ "My Father is right Domoria, I can't accept the Kokiri-Sword."_

_ The Kokiri laughs in an amused sort of way, getting up and walking over to Link, placing the Kokiri-Sword in his hands. "You can and you will accept it Youngling. Or Link as I must now call you. By besting me in battle, you have proved that you are the rightful owner of this weapon and have proved that I have nothing more to teach you. You are no longer a Youngling, you are now an Adult in the eyes of the Kokiri people."_

_ Link takes the Kokiri-Sword silently, drawing it from it's scabbard and letting his eyes wander up and down the blade. He returns it to it's scabbard and looks up at his father to see his reaction._

_ The old Captain continues to eye Domoria with a strange expression on his face. "I suppose if it cannot be avoided, then we must thank you for this wonderful gift Domoria."_

_ The Kokiri laughs in his sweet way and shakes his head. "It is my duty as holder of the sword, though your thanks is appreciated sir."_

_ Domoria helps Link to his feet and they both help the old Captain up, link holding the Kokiri-Sword in his hand, his own sword hanging on his back. Domoria takes the sword from Link and helps him into the sword belt, the two swords resting alongside each other on Link's back._

_ "Thank you Domoria, I hope we will get to spar again." Link smiles and shakes the Kokiri's hand, smiling up at his father as he does the same._

_ "Yes, thank you for your assistance today Domoria."_

_ The Kokiri just smiles and walks into the woods, whistling a happy tune and dancing through the trees. The two humans watch him and then head back toward their home._

_ The old Captain pats his son on the head and smiles down at him. "You have quite the natural talent for sword fighting my son, maybe now we can try our luck with shields and secondary weapons..."_

_ Over the next few months, Link progressed quickly in every skill his father faced him with. He learned to fight with a shield, using it to block blows and to stun his opponent with a shield bash, using the Kokiri-Sword to practice dual-wielding, archery and even unarmed combat. He mastered them all in a matter of days worth of practice. By the time his thirteenth birthday came to pass he had grown from a child with his first sword to a strapping young lad, his small frame already showing the physique of a warrior. On the final day of his training with his father he arrived ready for anything his father would test him on. His newest sword hung across his back, along with a large wooden shield given to him by the Kokiri and cut from the bark of the Great Deku Tree, the Kokiri-Sword hung at his side and his bow was in his quiver on his back, fifty recently fletched arrows ready to be fired._

_ Link sits down under his usual tree to meditate, not noticing when his father finally walks up._

_ "Well son, it is your thirteenth birthday and the last day of your training with me. I have taught you all that I can, and you are a better warrior than I could have dreamed you would be. You are ready for your final tests."_

_ Link looks up in surprise, his surprise growing when his eyes find his father in the early morning gloom. His left arm, usually a stump below the elbow, has a harness running up the upper arm and around his shoulders and neck, holding a strange device over the stump. His crutch was nowhere to be seen, instead he was standing on a strange metallic leg, held in place by another harness running up his side and around his shoulders and waist. In his hand is a case that jingles with internal movement whenever the old Captain shifts his weight. On his back is his sword, freshly polished, the sword belt gleaming like new leather. A leather jerkin adorns his breast, plates of metal riveted along it's surface, forming a flexible but strong suit of armor, with matching leggings and a helmet with the Hylian seal on his head._

_ "Father...? Your crutch is gone! And that leg! What is going on?" Link climbs to his feet, his green leather jerkin swaying in the breeze._

_ "These are gifts from the Sages, the very latest equipment for disabled soldiers apparently, a miracle of metal working. Prototypes specially crafted just for me, a gift to thank me for my efforts in the early years of the war." The old Captain puts down the case in his hand, opening it and taking out a curved sword with no handle, just a peg. He slides this peg into a slot in the device over the stump of his arm, locking it into place and raising and lowering the weapon._

_ "What does this have to do with my final tests Father?" Link asks his father confusedly, eyeing the curved sword and the leg and the armor._

_ "Well I would think it would be obvious my son, you have to fight me. That is your first test." The old Captain laughs, drawing his sword and swinging it, the blade hissing through the air and streaking like quicksilver. "If you can defeat me then we'll discuss the remainder of your tests."_


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Hero of War:**_

_**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction**_

_**Written by:**_

_**Jozepi4**_

_**Chapter 3**_

_ The early morning sunlight glints on the old Captain's armor as he smiles proudly at his son. Link slowly raises his arm to his sword, drawing it from it's scabbard, lifting his shield from his back with his other arm and raising them both, his stance lowering slowly as his shield rises to hide his face, his eyes peeking out from a small gap in the top, his sword raised at his side. The old Captain smiles and nods, raising his sword and readying his Sword-Arm._

_ Link slowly circles his father, the old Captain merely spinning slowly on the spot. Link darts forward with a loud yell, swinging his shield arm out to confuse his father._

_ The old Captain crosses his weapons, pushing forward with all his weight and sending Link stumbling back. He presses his attack, swinging his sword down on Link._

_ Link raises his shield, stumbling back further with the impact. Spinning around, the old Captain turns his momentum around into a strike from his Sword-Arm, sending Link reeling again._

_ Link struggles to maintain his footing as his Father spins again and again, landing harder and harder hits on Link's shield as his momentum builds. Link grunts and throws his weight forward at his Father's next attack, pushing into it and unbalancing the old Captain who stumbles back and catches himself just before he falls. Link charges forward, swinging his sword around from the side, the old Captain blocking with his Sword-Arm and swinging his sword up at Link._

_ Link blocks with his shield, swinging it around to block a second attack from his father's Sword-Arm. He quickly leaps to the side, charging forward and throwing his weight behind his shield, slamming into his Father's side and knocking him to his feet._

_ Link steps back as the old Captain struggles to his feet, smiling at his son and raising his weapons. He starts to circle to the right as Link follows suit, resting the blade of his sword on that of his Sword-Arm._

_ "You are an amazing warrior my son, I am proud to face you in combat." The old Captain smiles at his son, darting forward and swinging both of his weapons down on Link's shield, embedding the blades in the wood and throwing his weight on them._

_ Link braces the back of his shield with both of his arms, standing his ground and pushing back against his father's weight. "Thank you Father, but you will not only face me today, you will fall to me today."_

_ Link grunts and pushes forward, knocking his father back and throwing his shield with him, drawing the Kokiri-Sword from it's scabbard at his side, raising his two weapons and charging forward at his father._

_ The old Captain rolls backward as Link pushes him away, getting to his feet quickly and he uses his foot to kick the broken shield from his weapons._

_ Link leaps into the air, swinging both of his weapons downward as he falls, the old Captain crossing his weapons and raising them, catching Link's attack in the crook of the blades._

_ Link and his father push back and forth, neither one giving ground as they struggle against each other._

_ "It would seem you were mistaken Link." The old Captain grunts, straining to push his son back._

_ Link gives a sudden powerful push, knocking the old Captain back and he darts forward, kicking his father in the chest and laying the blade of his sword on his father's neck._

_ "No Father, I was not mistaken. You are beaten." Link steps back, breathing heavily and he twirls both of his swords artfully, stopping them suddenly and slamming them both back into their scabbards._

_ The old Captain shakes away his shock and laughs, dropping his sword and raising his arm to Link who pulls him up with a smile. The old Captain smiles back at his son, picking his sword up and putting it into it's scabbard on his back._

_ "It would seem that I am. I am very proud of you Link." The old Captain clasps hands with Link, pulling him into a one armed hug. "You have proved what a mighty warrior you are today, and you have proved yourself worthy. Come now, it is time that you finally met with the Great Deku Tree."_

_ In a clearing deep in the forest, one tree stands. The empty area around it full of lush grass and small shrubs, but not a single tree grows within a hundred yards of it's gnarled roots. This single tree is so massive that it swathes nearly the entire clearing in shadow, it's branches reaching out nearly to the edges of the surrounding trees. To the casual onlooker this tree was nothing more than a normal tree, large and ancient to be sure, but normal nonetheless. But upon closer examination, you notice several things. Near the ground a large patch of it's bark nearly six feet across is missing, the bare wood deeply rutted in the shape of a face, simple eyes mouth and nose etched into the surface. The floor about five from the base of the tree, the roots are split, forming a bowl full of rain water._

_ It was into this clearing that Link and the old Captain walked, stopping in front of the pool of rain water. They both kneel down, drinking from the small pool, straightening up and looking at the gnarled surface of the old tree._

_ "Great Deku Tree, I've brought Link, I believe he is ready for your tests." The old Captain calls out, raising his face to the tree._

_ Link looks at his father and then calls out to the tree. "Great Deku Tree, I am honored to be in your presence, I hope that you will bless me with your knowledge."_

_ With a rumbling of moving wood, the entire tree shakes, the light filtering down through it's leafy branches moving around with it. The rough wooden face on the trunk of the tree moves, the eyes opening and revealing incredibly detailed wooden pupils that move back and forth from the old Captain to Link. With a movement like a nod a large smile forms on the lips of the wooden face and the mouth opens._

_ "You have done well Link, and you have come very far from the day you were born in the small hut in my woods." The Great Deku tree turns to the old Captain, nodding slowly, "Sir, I believe you are correct, I can sense the strength in his young body. He is ready to start his journey."_

_ The old Captain turns to his son, gesturing for him to step forward. Link nods, stepping down into the pool of rainwater, surprised at it's depth, the water rising to just above his waist at the center of the pool._

_ "Link, what do you know of the Hero of Legend?" The Great Deku Tree turns to Link once more, his wooden eyes staring into Links blue ones. Link thinks to himself a moment, trying to remember all he had been told about the hero. Looking up at the Great Deku Tree, he passes on his answer._

_ "The Hero of Legend is a Hylian who emerged in the time of Ganon as the Hero of Time, and unlocked the Doors of Time and acquired the Triforce. He only took one segment, the Triforce of Courage. The segments for Power and Wisdom went to Ganondorf and Princess Zelda. Using the 'Sword of Evil's Bane' the Master Sword, he defeated Ganondorf. His reincarnations, the Hero's of Wind and Twilight made similar journeys against Ganon, facing him in combat with the Master Sword. The Hero of Twilight finally managed to defeat him for good when his Triforce of Power abandoned him, leaving him to die."_

_ The Great Deku Tree nods as Link speaks. When Link finishes his story the Great Deku Tree tells him of the next step in the legend, "You are correct young one, but there is one detail that is always lost in the telling. Each of the Heros, in all of their incarnations, shared a name. That name, is Link."_

_ The Great Deku Tree laughs softly at Link's confused look, "Yes Link, your name. It has been this way since the first Hero of Legend. And you are to be the next Hero of Legend who shall save Hyrule."_

_ Link looks at the Great Deku Tree, unable to believe what he is hearing. His mind races, looking from his father to the Great Deku Tree, waiting for one of them to tell him it's a mistake, that he isn't the Hero of Legend. When neither speak, just return his gaze solemnly he nods, looking up at the Great Deku Tree._

_ "I am ready Great Deku Tree. Teach me."_

_ The Great Deku Tree nods, a shudder moving throughout his trunk and roots and a small hole opening in the pool of water Link is standing in. As he falls down he looks at his father, unsure of what is to come or if he will even see him again._


End file.
